Hotel des Balances

Pros • Excellent central location in Lucerne’s Old Town. • Beautiful historic building with modern, comfortable rooms. • Great restaurant with a riverside terrace. • Friendly and attentive staff. • Some rooms offer lovely river views. Cons • No spa, gym, or wellness facilities. • Not all rooms have full air-conditioning. • Breakfast may not be included. • Parking is paid. • Some street noise in certain rooms.

I recently stayed at Hotel des Balcones in October 2025, and overall, it was a wonderful experience that lived up to its four-star rating.||We had rooms 111 and 311. The rooms were clean, and well-appointed with modern décor. I had them remove a standing floor lamp and a small cocktail table. It made it much easier to move around the room, especially to get to the in-room safe. The bed was extremely comfortable, and the linens felt fresh and luxurious. I appreciated the thoughtful touches like complimentary bottled water, a minibar, and high end toiletries. The only minor downside was shower - it is the size of a cruise ship / a verticle cylinder. Also, our view was totally obstructed by construction.||The staff were friendly and professional. Check-in and check-out were smooth and efficient. I left my key in the room twice and they had no problem issuing a new key. ||The breakfast buffet had a wide variety of options, from fresh fruit to made-to-order omelets. The best cappucinos in Lucerne!||My only complaint would be not being able to order bar food from the bar and sit on the terrace that over looked the river and a beautiful Jesuit church. I ordered a martini no problem, just no food. ||Hotel des Balances offers great value for money and provides the level of service and comfort you’d expect from a 5-star hotel. I most definitly recommend it to both business and leisure travelers.

Beautiful hotel! Excellent location. A little tricky to get to. We drove in ourselves. They do have valet parking. You do have to drive down cobblestone and past shops. It all looks like you shouldn't be driving on the street but you can. Very spacious rooms. Our room over looked the lake, very romantic. Easy walk for shopping and restaurants. There are some steps that up have to climb, just a couple but could hinder someone with mobility issues. Overall beautiful hotel.

Location was great and Stephanie at breakfast provided wonderful service. Room was a little small for 4 people but the bathroom was good sized which helped. It is within walking distance of resturants, shops and landmarks. The views from the room across the water to the church and mountains behind were excellent. The church does ring the bells every morning about 6:45 am so if you are a late sleeper that might not be appreciated.

Stayed for 2 nights in one of the river view rooms that had a spectacular view of Mt Pilatus as well. Hotel is immaculate and both the hotel and restaurant staff were friendly and helpful with foreigners like us. Luzern and the hotel are really nice and well worth the visit. We also ate at the restaurant one night which was among the best places we had eaten on the trip so far. Definitely reocommended.

We loved the location of this hotel and the view from the balcony. Beyond that, we were very unimpressed. There was nowhere to store your luggage and the room was very tiny. There was a writing desk that took up way too much room and made it difficult to maneuver onto the balcony. You had to carry your luggage up a flight of steps to check in, and also a few steps to our room. I walked around in my socks after getting there and they were black on the bottom when I went to take them off. We were exhausted and did not have the stamina to address the issues with management, as were touring all day everyday we were there so I will say I did not give them the opportunity to rectify. But I don't feel like I should have had to do that. The breakfast is way overpriced and the service was poor. We could see our waiter on his phone for a very long time while we waited with empty coffee cups. Overall, we would not stay here again nor would we recommend it.

This was the only 4-star hotel on the river in old town that was available that wasn’t over CHF 300 per night. The bar/restaurant downstairs was very bougie-one of the nicest in the area I think. Drinks were wonderful. Most patrons were dressed to the nines in very nice Swiss attire and men in sport coats. Ladies were often in dresses. The breakfast is not worth the CHF 35 price tag so go somewhere else close by for better options. There are plenty of great breakfast/brunch places nearby. I was in Lucerne for 3 nights originally but extended an extra 2 nights. I still only saw a portion of Lucerne.

Hotel des Balances is a beautiful blend of history and modern comfort, right in the heart of Lucerne’s Old Town. The location is unbeatable — you can walk to the Chapel Bridge, Jesuit Church, and plenty of shops and restaurants within minutes. My room was stylish and very clean, with a wonderful view over the river. The historic facade and murals give the hotel real charm, while the interiors feel elegant and well cared for. The staff were warm, professional, and genuinely helpful — from check-in to recommendations around the city. Overall, a fantastic hotel if you want charm, comfort, and a prime location in Lucerne. Highly recommended, especially if you can book a river-view room!

Perfect in every single way. Amazing room, incredible stunning view, kind and considerate employees who went above and beyond. By far the best hotel experience I have ever had. Cannot wait to come back. P.S. look at this view from the room.

The hotel is situated in the old town. We had a room with river view and balcony, which is absolutely worth the additional price. The deluxe room was small but clean, the beds were comfortable. The view of the river, Jesuit church and mountains is just amazing. Just a few steps from the hotel are great caffee shops, bakeries and restaurants. The hotel restaurant is excellent, too.

Beautiful historic hotel (that's been completely renovated)! Great location, on the river, right in old town. Amazing rooms, balcony's, views, service. We considered so many hotels when researching Lucerne, we made the right choice! Valet took the car off our hands, they stored our bags before and after check in. Welcome drink. Room had every amenity. Had a wonderful stay. Perfect location! Note: you can drive on pedestrian roads to get to the hotel.

Our room was spacious for European standards. The balcony was ample with a nice table and chairs and the view is sooo nice. We were welcomed to free Prosecco as we waited for our rooms to be ready since we arrived a little early. The restaurant has an extensive selection of exotic meats. Veal fillet, deer, venison, duck, and etc. Food is delicious and we recommend it. I can't figure out how to put 1/2 stars but I would give this place 4 1/2 stars for location, convenience, amenities and courtesy. The building itself is also quite pretty outside. It's an old building too. I had a history lesson about WWI & WWII about Switzerland not beiNg bombed so many buildings are From 1400s. Sooo, don't look at the paintings too long...I swear it blinked at me....JK. Beautiful hotel!

Arguably one of my favorite hotels I've ever stayed in. I will make it a point to stay again. From the moment we checked in, I knew this was going to be a great hotel and stay. The staff is amazing, amenities are nice, location can't be better, the views are to die for...and? The restaurant at the hotel might be one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. I'm in the wine business and the wine list and interesting selections by the glass make this list among the great anywhere. I cannot recommend this hotel more. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

This hotel is absolutely stunning. They have rooms with balconies overlooking the river, as well as rooms that overlook the town. We are in room 301 which overlooks the town and the room is just lovely! The room is mainly white and is super clean. There are blinds on the outside of the window that can be closed so you can allow wind to still flow into the room. The bathroom has a small gift bag filled with L'Occitane procducts (big plus!). The parentals have a corner river facing balcony suite (209), and the view is quite breathtaking. The service in this hotel is spectacular. I'm staying here again when I return to Luzern!

The room is lovely. Cozy. I am disappointed that we were assigned a room in a corner, right next to the construction work. It is off season and the hotel does not appear to be at capacity. There should have been plenty of quiet rooms.

Amazing hotel with a stunning view looking over the river. The receptionist are very warm and welcoming. She told us about the Licht Festival and even have is a map to use to check out the various locations to find more light fixtures. This hotel is close enough to everything you would be looking to explore. The only downside I can find to give this hotel is the lack of included breakfast. However even with that, there's no way I could give this place anything lower than 5 stars. Great place if ever visiting Lucerne!

My family and I had a great dinner a few days ago at the hotel restaurant. The restaurant has a nice balcony outside overlooking the river through town. The food was top quality. We had a few different dishes including steaks, prawn skewers, and fried goats cheese. All the dishes are nicely prepared and taste great. Overall with this restaurant you get what you pay for. Great food, attentive service and a nice view. However expect to pay about 90 CHF per person for two dishes and a nice bottle of wine.

Gorgeous hotel right on the river. The rooms are very well done, and the restaurant has a great menu. The location could not be better. This is my favorite place to stay in Lucerne.

Pleasantly surprised by this hotel! Not only is it perfect in cleanliness and crisp but has character galore. And I doubt there is better location this time of year. The Christmas markets are just steps away. Walk ability for shopping is unequaled. We had 3 rooms, the riverside ones were simply magnificent at sunset. A gem!!

OMG This hotel is the BEST ever. Request a room on the river side. We requested and received a junior suite on the 4th floor (room 409). It had a separate sitting room with a couch, chair, desk and TV and mini bar (unfortunately the mini bar was completely packed so if we needed to use the fridge (which we did) we had to pile the mini bar products on the floor. They had an umbrella and a hair dryer and a scale in the room. Each room was beautifully decorated. The bedroom and balcony had a perfect view of the Chapel Bridge and the Jesuit Church. The hotel provided a bus/tram pass. The staff were friendly and helpful. The bed was VERY comfortable. We have stayed in some amazing hotels but this one is definitely one of the best ever.